COOKINGWITHCAMPICHE
Nancy’s crab bisque
BY DAVID CAMPICHE
A most pleasant visit to stop by my
friend’s house — the home of Nancy and
Phillip Allen — and be served a fresh cup
of coff ee, and generally, something small
and delectable. We talk about books, food,
gardens or about life in our village.
On Monday, Nancy brought out a cup
of crab bisque. The soup reminded me of
Christmas Eve and my mother serving
a similar delectable broth. And all those
smiles, those sea smells, contentment.
The stock carries the soup and the
bisque isn’t a complicated aff air, but the
steps are somewhat lengthy. Patience is
one of the tricks behind tasty cuisine, as is
not cutting corners. The result is sublime.
The taste is subtle, refreshing, and an inti-
mate tour of the taste buds — as pleasant
an adventure as walking on Benson Beach
with two friends most every Sunday morn-
ing or eating pate sandwiches in Dead
Man’s Hollow.
We live for our special friends and strive
to cross the bridge that food brings to the
table, and beyond. Between neighbors,
associates, strangers.
Good food begins with good stock. Boil
two Dungeness crabs in about 6 to 8 cups
of water, then add 1/4 cup of salt and the
same amounts of Old Bay spices and lemon
juice. I prefer 10 to 12 minutes of a gentle
boil, adding Kaffi r and bay leaves to fl ush
out subtle fl avors.
Let the crabs simmer until cool and then
strain, reserving about 4 cups of stock.
Crack open those claws that are fi lled with
the best meat in the world. Sprinkle the
crab into the bowl of that lovely bisque.
Finish with the creme fraiche and herbs.
The bisque is fi ne served cold on a hot sum-
mer afternoon, so sweet and so fl avorful.
Nancy’s crab bisque
Stock
• 6 to 8 cups water
• Two whole Dungeness crabs
• Two bay leaves
• Two Kaffi r leaves
Bisque
• 6 to 8 cups broth, strained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups cream
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stocks celery, diced
• 1 cup bell pepper, fi nely chopped
• 1 cup dry wine (or brandy, as my
mother used, better yet)
• 2 mounded tablespoons of tomato paste
• Crab meat, shaken from the two crabs
• Chives or chopped parsley for garnish
• A dollop of creme fraiche (per serving)
Preparation
Saut e the onion and diced celery stalks
in olive oil and butter. Add the pepper
and cook until tender. Deglaze with the
wine. Add the stock, bay and Kaffi r leaves.
Crab bisque, served
with a fresh Dungeness catch.
David Campiche
SHANGRILA CREEK MINING COMPANY
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Thicken with the tomato paste. Stir in
the cream and reduce the liquid for a few
minutes.
Turn off the heat, strain (or create a
smooth consistency with an immersion
blender) and then serve with the crab meat
along with a dollop of creme fraiche or
sour cream in individual bowls. Sprin-
kle on chives or chopped parsley. Serve
with a dry sauvignon blanc. Toasted
slices of grilled bread, rubbed with gar-
lic cloves and olive oil, make a wonderful
accompaniment.
David Campiche is a potter, poet, writer
and lifelong resident of the Long Beach
Peninsula with a keen interest in adven-
ture, fi ne and culinary arts. Find more
about his work at davidcampiche.com.